Heartbeat
by freeze1
Summary: The Shikon no Tama was finally restored, but in the process there was a little accident...Now 6 years later Kagome has come back to Feudal Japan with one goal in mind: To find Inuyasha and to kill him. IY/K. R/R Please! ***NOW WITH ADDED A/N!!!***
1. Default Chapter

Authors Notes: Hi! I had thought about this story when listening to CHANGE THE WORLD by V6...and I just HAD to write it. *Stopping the wicked long Ranma 1/2 fic i was in the proccess of writing*. It suddenly got kinda...angsty...but my alpha-reader said it was my best work...so I'm putting it up! I decided to be nice and put it all up as one chapter...and write the WHOLE thing before putting it up. So i wouldn't leave anyone in suspense. *That is if anyone actually reads this*. I hope you like it! Reviews are GREATLY appreciated! 

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is the property of Rumiko Takahashi, it's not mine. *Sniffle*. OH WHAT I WOULD DO IF I OWNED INUYASHA! *GLOMPS* 

The wind rustled silently through her hair as she felt the pressure decrease. She could feel the water that had slipped through her body stop suddenly, her form becoming dry as the air flew past her. Slowly she climbed out of the box-like shape surrounding her and stood, facing her shadowed face to the sky. Letting her nearly black hair cover her eyes and flow around her slim body, she whispered a single word. 

"Inuyasha." 

****************** 

The air pressure was unimaginable. He could feel it pulse past his body, making his stomache twinge slightly. If he were anyone else, he would probably be on the ground vomiting like an idiot. But that was beside the point. 

Reacting as like nothing was wrong with the situation, he lunged back in, swinging the silver sword he held in his hand. Quickly he looked up to the tip of the blade, and smiled at the black blood seeping down it. The blood of a demon. 

He growled smugly and repositioned the sword, ready for another strike. This was child's play. He smirked, easily reading the moves of his demon opponent. He felt claws nearly scrape the left side of his face as he dodged the hit, then drew back his sword and plunged it strait into the back of the huge creature, delivering the final blow. 

He felt his feet touch the ground once again as he looked at the crumpled figure infront of him. Weak and worthless. 

He frowned as he noticed his breath had increased, that his heart was pulsing abnormally fast. Easy, it had been. But not easy enough. He growled, looking down at his clawed hands. He was growing weaker. 

He pulled at the beads he wore around his neck restlessly. In his rough hands, he could feel the perfectly round little ball which had been added to the necklace 6 years ago. He felt his fingers rub over it's smooth figure, it's perfect orb shape. Growling relentlessly, he turned away from the demon and began to tear away, never letting go of the jewel he wore around his neck. 

_Weak…_a voice whispered in his head. _You're so weak…you're no better then one of them…then a human…then her…_

He nearly cried out, pounding his fist into a nearby tree, his white hair flying around him. He tried again to fight the image out of his mind, and then looked down at the jewel again. The jewel that could make him stronger. And the jewel that he just couldn't use. 

********************* 

He looked up from his resting place against the familiar tree. His gaze searched the horizon, then down to the vast area around him. He could see the lakes, the rivers, the forests, the plains, every part of his world that he would ever need to see. 

Straining his ears, he could just make out a faint growl in the distance. From a spot in the distance, he could see the usually lazy birds fly up into the sky. He sighed, closing his eyes back into the meditating stance, his black hair framing his face. 

_Fool… _he whispered to himself quietly. _After this many years…you are still such a fool…_

"Did you hear that?" He opened his eyes slowly, acknowledging the presence of the girl behind him. He could hear her move quietly from out of the hut, the fabric from her daily housewear rustling almost silently. 

"Of course," he said, his voice sounding alien to him as he hadn't spoken for hours. He could hear the girl behind him walk over to the closeline and hang something up. She fiddled for a few moments, probably on pinning the article of clothing onto the line. 

"What do you suppose he has gotten himself into this time?" She asked wearily, and he could hear her snap the two pins onto the piece of clothing, and missing. He chuckled as he heard her groan and pick up the clothes from behind him, trying again to hand them on the line. 

"Isn't it always the same?" He asked quietly. "It will always be such. He tries, but he just cannot forget." He could hear her finally pin whatever she was pinning onto the line and turn, her attention fully directed to him. 

"Listen…are you sure that _you_ are okay?" She asked timidly, keeping her distance from him. He smiled sadly, not turning to look at her, but staring out over the horizon. 

"I'm fine. I've just been thinking about some things," He heard her footsteps walk timidly closer to him, keeping her distance as though she was slightly frightened. Finally, he could feel her standing at his side. 

"A…about what?" She asked quietly, surprising him by sitting down next to him, something she would never have done in the past. He kept his gaze on the sun, promising himself not to give into the temptation of looking at her. 

"About my life. About what I am to do with it, now that I have regained it back. About…about my future…" He turned his gaze away forcefully, not wanting to oppose anything on her. And most certainly not wanting to ruin the wonderful feeling he was getting just sitting next to her. He felt her hand slowly touch his shoulder, sending sparks of electricity down his spine. 

"Houshi-sama…" Suddenly, from the distance echoed a scream. He could feel her eyes turn from him and follow his to the surrounding distance. 

"Wha…what was that?" She asked hurridly, her hand leaving it's place on his shoulder, to which he was slightly disappointed. He stood up slowly. 

"Inuyasha will not be back in time. This is up to us." He turned his gaze finally to look at her, his eyes meeting hers. 

"Will you come with me, Sango?" She nodded, and slowly reached up to put her hand in his. 

**************** 

Her eyes remained focused infront of her, her feet stepping determinedly, one then the other. Her expression didn't change. It wouldn't change. 

She could hear the gasps of some as she passed, and the whispers they made after she had left them far behind. But she had blocked them out from her mind. She had been prepared for this. She had known that this would happen. So she was ready. 

She could feel the old fashioned kimono move with her as she walked, her hair trailing behind her. It was significantly longer then it had been when she had first walked this path 6 years before. But that was beside the point. 

Her feet were bare, and the road was not much of a road. Crumpled pieces of rock jabbed into her feet constantly, but she walked on steadily. The pain she felt from these small rocks, this was nothing. Nothing compared to the pain she had felt for so long. 

In her heart. 

Continuing her pace, she reached back slowly for the long bow tied to her back. With one swift movement, the bow was in her hands. She ran her hands over it slowly, eyeing it's crude form. It wasn't as if it had been made in any special way. In fact, the bow seemed to be cut just so that it would work. Nothing more. 

But she needed nothing more. 

She felt the surface of her feet relax as grass spread itself out under them. She could see trees start to flock up like hungry dogs waiting for their food. The wind flowed through her hair, and the simple breeze reminded her how hot she was. But giving up and turning back now just wasn't an option. 

She closed her eyes quickly, images flooding in through her closed eyelids. Pictures of herself…when she was younger. She could see other people, her friends, in their Fuedal Japanese clothing. And she could see a boy…if it was right to call him that. 

His hair was white as the moon that reflected itself onto it as he sat up in his tree, staring at the stars as he did so very often. His face, a mixture of unknown expressions as he stared up blankly. 

She could feel her fists clench as her face hardened into a determined glare. _Inuyasha…I will repay you for what you did to me…_

******************* 

He could feel that something wasn't right. For him, it was obvious. Nothing could get past him. Creeping down from the tree he had been hiding in, he landed swiftly onto the ground, his nose pricked up into the air. 

The forest didn't smell right. Something was out of place. He could smell the berries he had stored up in his tree, he could smell the birds who had just moved into the tree next to his, he could smell the old smell of Miroku and Sango from when they had been by the other day on an outing to the village, he could smell faintly the smell of demon blood in the distance, and Inuyasha's smell not far away either. But none of this was abnormal. 

He pushed out a paw gently, stepping forward and sniffing the air around him again. Something just wasn't right. His first thoughts flew to Inuyasha. It always seemed to be Inuyasha who did anything. Yet it had been easier to blame him 6 years ago rather then today. 

Inuyasha, now, seemed to be a mystery to him. He never was "settled" to begin with, but since he had met up with "the humans", he had let up a lot. Now adays, he was never around, fighting demons for no reason what so ever…he was thoroughly depressed. 

Not that we hadn't all been after that day… 

The teenaged kitsune shook his head, shaking the images that lingered so often in his mind away. He puffed up his fox tail and turned, intent on jumping back up into his tree where he could get some peace and quiet. But that's when he heard it. 

From the distance, he could hear a faint whistle. It was so quiet, it just barely blended with the wind. He could feel his ears perk up at the sound and his expression harden. Without waiting, he put his paws up to his mouth and started to call frantically. 

"KIRARA!" In an instant, he could see a bundle of yellow fur jump out of the wilderness, teeth beared and ready. He smiled at his companion, and then jumped up to meet her. 

"We've got to go. Something's happened. And I think it's going to be for the worse." 

****************** 

The sun fought its way against the leaves and finally burst itself in tiny patterns onto the forest floor. Her feet trampled the light as she ran, her breath steady yet harsh. She could feel the huge boomerang shift on her back, but she was used to it. 

She stole a glance at her companion, finding his face looking strait ahead. She turned back to look where she was going as well, trying not to think about him. It was not the time to think about him. 

Something was wrong. Many demons attacked the villages, it wasn't that. She and the others would fight them off…as she had always done back in the past with her father. So fighting demons didn't seem to be anything new. 

Though demon hunting had grown to be a painful experience when she was younger, over the past 6 years she had gotten more used to it. Her brother was stationed safely with Kaede and the young Rin in one of the nearby cities, and she visited him as much as possible. 

The memories that had passed through her mind numerous times about demon huntings had stopped there. But this was something else… 

She lept up into the air, feeling Miroku jump in step with her. Within an instant, she landed on the back of a large cat, feeling it's silky fir mangle with the hot material of her "uniform". It seemed as though in a single instant she was on the ground again; Kirara doing the running for her this time. 

It had always been that fall which had been the scariest part of these trips, these demon excursions. The feeling of just falling, like you're helpless and alone. But somehow she knew that the worst part was yet to come. 

She had been able to find a single ribbon lying around and had used it to sweep her hair up, but of course had done poorly. With the hand that she wasn't using to grasp onto Kirara's back, she brushed the loose strands out of her face frantically. She heard a chuckle, and turned to stare over at her partner. But still, his eyes faced forwards as he grasped onto Shippo's short fur tightly. 

In an instant the forest was behind her. She could feel Kirara's movements change, her job of running now easier without the fallen limbs and jutting roots. A sound suddenly rose to her ears. 

She turned quickly to see Shippou, his eyes halfway closed, his black nose up in the air sniffing. Something was out there…And then she saw it. 

A figure was standing in the middle of a clearing. She could tell it was a girl from the old kimono she wore around her body, but the rest of her seemed to be a mystery. Her long black hair was tied back in a white ribbon, and her bangs hung across her face, shading her eyes from view. On her back she carried a casket filled with jet black arrows, and in her hand she held a bow. Sango felt her heart catch in her throat. _I know you…_

She felt Kirara come to a stop, and jumped off her demon's back. She waited, standing no more then 10 feet away from the mysterious girl, Miroku at her side. She watched as the girl stopped, her eyes never leaving it's place at the ground. 

"Are you…are you sure?" She could hear Miroku ask to the demon behind her. She could almost feel the vibration from the growel Shippo gave as an answer. 

"I was never more sure," the teenaged kitsune said hautily. "All the scents point directly to this spot. Directly to this girl." Sango watched Miroku's face faluter slightly, as though he was unsure of what to do. 

"But…but Shippou…she's just a girl…" she whispered, realizing that she, too, was unsure. But before Shippou could answer, a soft voice answered for him. 

"What are you doing?" Sango could feel the rest of them turn, their eyes fixing on the girl infront of them. She had not moved since they had stopped her, and the only movements she could see now were those of her lips. 

"Do you come to stop me?" She asked quietly, a bitter pain in her voice. "Because, I assure you, I will not allow that." Sango could feel Miroku tense up next to her, and then thrust out his arm at the girl. 

"Don't act so haughty; tell us who you are!" 

"No!" Before she could stop him, a vine flew out of the monks hand, snaking it's way towards the girl. _But you could get her killed…_she whispered to herself, flinching slightly as she watched. But to her amazement, death was not the case. 

The girl lifted her arm slowly as if it were burdened with heavy weights and brought it infront of her. Within an instant, the vine had stopped in mid air and fallen to the ground. Sango watched in disbelief as she stared at the broken vine now writhing on the floor infront of this girl. 

"You will not interfere," she whispered quietly. Within an instant, the vine was back off the ground heading at light speed towards the group. Sango shut her eyes to a sharp pressure around her arms, and then opened her eyes to see a piece of the same vine snagged around her body. Her eyes raced from Shippo to Kirara to Miroku, all who had seemed to experience the same treatment. 

"What the…" Miroku cursed, his angry form sending out an aura much unlike that of any normal monk. Sango spat onto the ground, getting the grim taste of her own blood out of her mouth from where she had accidentally bit her inner lip. 

"What do you think you're doing?" She cried, struggling helplessly. She could see the girl walk forward, her footsteps noiselessly hitting the grassy earth. 

"I will not tolerate interferance," she whispered, her body getting closer and closer to Sangos. 

"Interferance?" Sango shouted, her words fearless but her heart cowerding. "You shouldn't be here! Go back to where you came from, you…you…" in a second, the sun was blocked from view as a figure towered over her. She watched as the girl brought up her hand, her face never changing expression. 

"You are in the way." Sango instantly realized what was happening, and shut her eyes, preparing her body for whatever the girl was going to throw at her. She could hear the restless struggling of her companions behind her. Then, everything seemed to change in an instant. 

"SANGO, NO!!!" Time seemed to stand still as she heard his voice echo throughout the clearing, whispering through the holes in the trees. _H-Houshi-sama?_

"Sango…" She opened her eyes quickly to the girl, her hand once again at her side. "Your name…is Sango?" She nodded, her expression one of utter confusion. 

"Then maybe you can help me," she whispered. Sango blinked, wondering if she really had seen the faint smile that had played apon the girls lips. 

"W…with what?" She asked quietly, not knowing what else to say. 

"You must help me find Inuyasha," Sango gasped. Then the girl slowly lifted her face, her endless brown eyes shining. 

"And kill him." 

"K…Kagome?" 

*************** 

Hell on earth. To be pure and simple, that would be how you describe it. Living was an endless hell, an unending pit of pain. 

He was no damn monk. He could not just relieve himself of all desire, go on and live life like some happy-go-lucky baby bunny. He could not turn away his misfortunes, live with what he had and be thankful for it. His behavior was bound to him in his demon blood. 

This was his curse. 

He had felt pain before. He had been bruised in more places then imaginable, torn various limbs…why it seemed that every new moon he would go through more pain then the rest of the pitiful humans combined. But it was not the pain of the body. 

It was the pain of the heart. 

Heart. It was a foolish word. A weak word. A true demon would never say the word "heart". A true demon would never worry about matters concerning such. A true demon would not mope about like a true baka after something that happened 6 years ago. 

But then…he wasn't a true demon. 

And that was to be damned as well. 

It was not as though this feeling was new to him…this unending burning of the heart. He had seen the only person he ever loved killed…by his own hands. And he had lived with her soul wandering the earth, torturing his mind. 

But she did not matter any more. She was safe, her body gone and her soul departed to a place far better then this endless pile of dirt. She was not his problem anymore. 

Her death had been avenged 6 years ago; the weight she had brought onto his mind pulled free. It seemed that everyone had gotten what they had most desired on that day. Their dream, their fantasy come to life… 

Kohaku had been restored to Sango perminently, his body fully intact and his mind as good as new. 

The curse bearing down on Miroku's family had been finally lifted. No longer did he have to wander the earth, not knowing when his life would end. 

Shippo's father's soul was able to see him one last time before he lead the other calm souls to the heavens with him. Shippo was finally able to see his father again, and right before he officially became an "adult kitsune". 

Kikyou's soul became at piece, finally able to leave this world and travel to another. 

Naraku was killed. 

And the Shikon No Tama was fully restored. 

But there is a price to pay for dreams…and even more when these dreams become reality. He seemed to have known this all along…and so did the others infact. But he never knew that he would have to give something that meant more to him then anything… 

His search had been long and hard, his search for the Shikon No Tama. He had spoken freely of wanting desperately to become a full demon using it's powers. But in his mind, he had seemed to want something more. Something he knew that being a full demon would never give him…so what did he do? 

He blotted that something out. Or tried to, at least. 

But when the time came to finally choose…he had chosen the Shikon No Tama. Persistant to go in and get it, to complete it no matter how dangerous it was he had foolishly asked for help. 

_"Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you." _He grimaced at the remembrance of the words he had spoken. The lies… 

He hadn't been able to understand why she was crying. He had thought, at the time, that she was weak. Much blood had been shed during the coarse of the battles…perhaps she was being the wench that she was and was just scared. 

_"Then I guess you have made the decision to leave and become a full demon. If that is your choice…then I will gladly honor it. I'll do this for you…Inuyasha…" _Her words echoed in his mind, playing themselves again and again. He had lead her inside there…he had grasped the Shikon No Tama… 

And he had lost her. 

Forever. 

He clenched his fists from where he sat up on the most comforatable branch of the tree. He had never really realized how much she had meant to him…until then… 

"Kagome…" Within an instant, a strange scent passed through his nose. He raised his head to the sky, closing his eyes and sniffed again, trying to catch the scent. With one swift motion he was on the ground, his body bent over as he sniffed the ground. 

"This…this is…" cautiously he looked down the woody path, his horrified eyes following the trees farther into the forest. In his mind, he could glimpse a girl, a girl with black hair down slightly past her shoulders, a weird assortment of green and white garmets, and a pretty smile. And with that he burst off running, following the scent intently. 

"Kagome!" 

******************** 

Damn them. Damn them to hell. 

She watched the other girl intently, not flinching as her horrified eyes met hers. She looked over the girl's body, eyeing the black clothing she wore over her body. The clothing of a Taiji-ya, of a demon huntress. Her hair was pulled back into a crude pony tail, and her face was dripping with sweat. 

Damn this place. Damn these people. Damn this… 

She turned over to make eye contact with the boy to her side. His body was draped with loose monk clothing and in his right hand he held a staff. He had some small earings on his left ear, and a trickle of blood was coming off of his lower lip. 

Damnit…after everything I did to make sure this would work… 

She could hear the snarl of the two demons behind the humans, and turned to them. She could see a teenaged fox kitsune, his brown fur on end, his nose sniffing the air furiously. Next to him was a larger kitsune, or more a kitsune projection. Her fur was matted to her body, her eyes glaring steadily. 

It couldn't be… 

"K…Kagome?" 

Fuck this, it was. She eyed the foursome group, her fists clenching with rage. No. It couldn't be. They would ruin everything. Everything! 

She could feel a tear start to slip from her eye, so she closed it to scrunch it back. Her body was trembling as she bit her lower lip, anger flowing through her body. _I thought this was going to work…damn this…they used to be…_

Kirara. Shippo. Miroku. Sango. 

_My friends…_

"IIIIEEEEE!" Her voice cut the sky, scattering a frightened flock of birds. Her mind was reeling as she brought her hands up to clutch her head, her heart pounding in her chest. This wasn't supposed to happen… 

"K-Kagome-sama! Are you…are you alright?" She didn't answer. _No. No! NO! I can't…I just cant do it…they were once my friends…_

"Kagome-chan?" She kept her hands over her ears, her body trembling and her eyes scrunched shut. _Maybe…when I find him…I won't be able to do it either…_

"IIIIEEEE!!!!" She screamed again, the sound piercing the silence. "I WON'T! I WON'T LOSE TO HIM! I WON'T LET HIM GET AWAY WITH WHAT HE DID TO ME! I WILL KILL THE BASTARD, I SWEAR IT ON MY GRAVE! INUYASHA, YOU WILL DIE!" She heard a noise from behind her, a rustling in the trees and quickly opened her eyes to look, the sight shocking her. 

"Kagome?" 

*************** 

"I WON'T! I WON'T LOSE TO HIM! I WON'T LET HIM GET AWAY WITH WHAT HE DID TO ME! I WILL KILL THE BASTARD, I SWEAR IT ON MY GRAVE! INUYASHA, YOU WILL DIE!" He stood, his mind reeling. It seemed his world had stopped. Time had stopped. His heart had stopped. That voice… 

"Kagome?" He watched the girl before him's body flinch and look up at him. His golden eyes met brown ones. Eyes filled with unimaginable sorrow. His heart caught in his throat. 

Her hair was long and black, tied back in a ponytail. She was wearing an old fashioned Japanese kimono, much like the one Kikyou used to wear. Her face was smudged with dirt, but still had that feminine glisten he had never been able to understand. And her glaring eyes were staring right at him. It was her…Kagome… 

She had come back! 

He could feel a smile creep up on his face as he took a step forwards, ignoring the voice in his mind telling him not to. But before he could take another step, she had risen to her feet, her eyes glaring at him with an emotion he had never seen from her. 

Hatred. 

Never taking her brown eyes off of him she reached backwards and pulled an arrow from the casket on her back. He gasped, watching her slip it into the crude bow she was holding. 

"Wh…what…" Her furious eyes pierced his heart, her gaze staring through him. She spat onto the ground, leaving a small pool of blood at her feet. 

"Inuyasha," she stated angrily. "I have finally found you." He watched, a slow agony spreading through his heart as she glared at him. 

"Ka…Kagome! I…listen, I've been looking for you! I…I've missed you…" she cut him off. 

"Bullshit," she snarled. "I have been trapped in HELL Inuyasha. Pure and simple HELL. Because of your stupid fucking love for a jewel, and for your power. I was trapped in a world where I was nothing. I was air. I was pain and horror, anxiety and grief all combined into one." He could see the tears that had begun to well up in her eyes, and could feel the pain her words were inflicting on him. 

"Kagome, I…" he whispered, not knowing what to say. "I'm so sorry…" He watched with horror as she drew the bow up, her stance straight and strong, her eyes determind. 

"Sorry is not enough," she whispered, drawing the bow back. "Sorry will never be enough. You must die." And with that, she let go of the bow. 

And his world was filled with the most unimaginable pain. 

**************** 

She slumped to her knees, her eyes following the trail of the black arrow, her vision blurring. The figures around her seemed to swirl about her as she stared forward, her face holding an expression of horror. She heard a scream pierce the sky. The scream from her own mouth. 

_What have I…_

She grasped her head, closing her eyes shut. She grasped her nails into her palm, her hand forming a fist at her side. Her head pounded, the sounds of the forest seeming farther and farther away. 

The pain from her nails digging into her flesh seemed to stop, to wear away until it was nothing. She slowly felt numbness spread over her body. 

_I trusted him…_

The bitter taste of blood inside her mouth started to slowly wear away. She couldn't tell if she was choking on it or spitting it out, but her body shook with the motions. Her head was pounding. 

_He trusted me…_

She opened her eyes in an instant. The whole world was white, white like a unbearably freezing winter. She could feel her body moving, as though it was moving up into the air. The white was foggy, as though huge, bright white clouds were obscuring her vision. And carrying her up into the sky. 

_I never wanted to…_

She could feel her body start to tire, her heartbeat slowing down. But her mind spun, the pain inside her heart more then she could bear. She realized it then… 

_I never wanted to kill him…_

She could feel tears start to seep out of her eyes, floating through the sky; defying the laws of gravity altogether. She had been wrong…hell she had been so damn wrong… 

_Oh kami…oh kami please…_

She knew not where she was going, and she couldn't care less. She could gather the strength to move her legs anymore. 

_"You…smell nice…"_

Her arms went limp as she struggled to move them. Her heartbeat slowed by the second as she tried to picture his face. 

_"I realized…I actually did want you near me…"_ She couldn't keep her eyes open any longer. Feeling her hair break loose and flow out infront her her, she reached out an arm in the same direction. The direction…he was in… 

_I know that sorry isn't enough. But I'm sorry…Inuyasha. I'm so sorry…_

And with the last tear that burst free, her eyes closed and her mind drifted into the neverending whiteness. 

****************** 

The pain was more then he had ever felt before. Time seemed to stand still…and then he was overwhelmed by the pain. His chest heaved as he stood, his face in utter shock. Slowly he turned to see the black arrow that had penetrated the skin around his heart. He cringed. 

_It smells…like Kagome…_

His ears picked up a scream, and he turned quickly from the arrow to the girl infront of him. She was on the ground, clutching her head in pain. 

Without thinking, he ripped the arrow from his chest, resulting in his balance slipping and an even larger outburst of pain. He threw the arrow to the side, running his clawed hands over the woundmark. The smell of blood filled the air as he brought his hand up to his face, now covered with red liquid. 

_I deserve this…_

He forced his eyes to look back at her, preparing himself for the look on her face. Something which come bring him even more pain. But all he could see was a white cloud. His mind raced as he lept to his feet, blood spilling onto the ground. 

_I did all this to you…_

He ran, each step he took making him wince and spitting out another puddle of blood onto the ground. He could see the cloud…he could still see it…it was all that mattered right now… 

_I promised to protect you…_

He could feel his heart pulsing slower, as though it was about to stop altogether. His bare feet seemed to grow numb, he could no longer feel the rocks and roots of the forest floor. 

_And I damn well lied…_

He watched closely, his vision beginning to blur. He could see something emerge from the mist of white. He looked up, his eyes fixing apon a face. Her hair was flowing freely, and her eyes were closed. A single tear was slowly floating away from her face. And inside of him, he could hear her voice… 

_"I know that sorry isn't enough. But I'm sorry…Inuyasha. I'm so sorry…" _He clenched his fists, blood pouring out of the wound in his chest. 

"KAGOME!!!" In an instant, he had reached out his clawed hand attempting to grab hers. He watched as his gnarled, clawed hand grew closer to her pale and perfect one. And then, as if by a miracle, he grabbed it. 

It was as if he was there forever, his hand in hers. He could feel her skin, soft as silk gently touching his worn claws. He could feel his warm hand coat her cold one with blood. And he could feel, for just a second, the pain completely float away. 

Before he knew what was happening he was on his back, the wind knocked out of him. He forced his eyes open, spitting out the lump of white hair that had been caught in his mouth. He searched around frantically, and then his eyes caught something. 

She was lying on the ground, her head laid back and her eyes closed. Her right hand had blood dripping off of it, but other then that she was virtually clean. Around her body she wore a school girl's uniform. 

"K…Kagome?" Without thinking twice he crawled over until he was kneeling beside her, his face hanging over her worn body. Her eyes were shut peacefully, as though she was sleeping. He placed a hand to her heart, cringing as he realized it was true. There was no heartbeat. 

"Oh…oh kami…I didn't mean for this to happen." He reached out a single claw and traced her face with it. He jumped slightly as he heard something hit her face, and gasped when he realized it was one of his own tears. 

He was crying… 

"I'm sorry…" He reached out his hand and put it on the side of her face, bringing his lips down to hers. He closed his eyes, more tears flowing out of them. This was something that, under normal circumstances, would have made him very confused, perplexed, and… 

And happy… 

He pulled away gently as if to leave as much life as he could in her, the taste of her blood in his mouth. And as he gazed down at her, he felt something pulse inside her body. Her…heartbeat… 

He looked at her, not daring to hope for anything. He could feel his heart caught in his chest. 

And then her eyes slowly started to open. 

He gasped, watching the familiar brown orbs focus on him, a mixture of confusion and sadness to him. And then in an instant, they lit up. 

He grinned, more tears running down his cheeks, his breaths still husky and sharp. He watched her bring her hand up to his face and touch it, sending a wave of electricity through his body. 

And then she smiled. 

"Inuyasha." 

A/N: Wow...that was nice and long and refreshing. If you liked it, review it! PLEASE! REVIEWS ARE SO SO SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO NICE! 


	2. Just some notes so everyone doesn't get ...

Hi! This is just some notes...since everyone thought my story was kinda confusing...^_^ 

1. Kagome was...well basically...trapped in her own world. The difference? No one could see, smell, touch or hear her. What she means by: "I was trapped in Hell", is that she was living 6 years of her life watching people she knew and loved grow up without her, mourn over her death, maybe even die...and there was nothing she could do about it. 

2. Kagome was really mad at Inuyasha because HE was the one that forced her in. She went in, knowing that she would never see him again just so that he would be happy...and she got nothing out of it. No, she wasn't posessed by Kikyo..^_^...Kikyo was finally gone. Kagome was acting of her own free will...she just didn't realize what she had done until it was: "too late". 

3. The whole dying thing...okay here's how that goes: Kagome shot Inuyasha with an arrow. It basically hit his heart or right near it. So...ya...he was dying. Or at least...very close to dying. But the catch is: she was dying to. Her "vengance" was set...and basically she was being taken away as though she had nothing left to do on earth. I COULD have written this really long and complicated thing about Kagome being sent to the world of the dead and floating aroud with the other "lost souls"...but i decided not to. ^_^ 

4. I know no one's actually ASKED this yet...but...Sango and Miroku aren't exactly married. *Dodges various items that are flying through the air*. IT JUST WOULDN'T HAVE WORKED WELL! If i write a sequal to this...then duh they'll get married. Cause i just LOVE them together! 

5. In the future and everything, Sango/Miroku/Inuyasha are all living in this little hut. They still keep track of demons and such...and they stay together...but they're slightly spread out since Kagome "died". Inuyasha is rarely ever with them, he's always off doing something on his own. ^_^ Oh, and Rin/Kohaku are living with Kaede and Shippou/Kirara are living in the forest. Hopefully you understood that, though. I THINK i made that obvious... 

I might write a sequal to this...or different chapters containing stuff like: "What happened to Kagome over all those years?" And: "The REAL final battle", and: "Afterwords"...stuff like that. But that only depends on whether people WANT me to. If ya do...i'd be happy to! I hope this makes it easier for u guys to understand! 


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